In the crowded consumer marketplace of 2016, having a strong brand presence is more important than ever. As a company, your brand is your promise to customers. It’s the first impression people have of your business and the image they will carry throughout their time as your customer. Your brand goes beyond the product you provide to tell people how you deliver that product, what your company believes in, and how you want to be perceived.
You may not realize how important this component of a business is, but what comes to mind when you think of some popular brand names? Nike commercials may make you feel more confident and athletic, like their products are just what you need to achieve your fitness goals. The Mercedes brand exudes luxury and makes consumers want to drive it to achieve a certain status or wow factor. Branding has the power to give incredible meaning to an intangible and trivial object. A t-shirt with the Coca-Cola logo on it is really just a piece of fabric with some stitching. But that symbol says much more; happiness, unity, refreshment.
Company’s build brands with innovative messaging and consistency. They know what they believe in and apply it to every facet of business from advertising and customer service to email signatures and how they treat their employees. A strong brand will not only catch a consumer’s eye in the beginning, but it will work as an asset to keep he or she as a long-term customer. Essentially, a brand is a company’s personality. The more developed and consistent it is, the more customers will feel like they know what a company is about and can trust in it to bring them the desired results.
But this is no small task for a new business. Establishing a solid brand and spreading awareness takes creativity, strategy, and usually a significant budget. This is one of many advantages to investing in a franchise; the brand is already built for you! A franchisor should have the team, materials, and messaging you need to hit the ground running with your business. Mosquito Joe, for example, has an experienced team dedicated to training and ongoing support so that each of our franchisees can carry out our brand consistently in their local areas.
It helps that our brand is one of our strongest assets. The tagline “Outside is fun again.” says it all. Our messaging focuses on the lifestyle that our services can provide customers, enjoying time outside with family and friends without the worry of getting bit by mosquitoes. It removes the ick factor usually associated with pest control and helps consumers focus on the positive end result of our barrier spray services.
This carries over into our other messaging and imagery. Most new franchisees comment on our “look”, saying it’s what got their attention in the first place and roped them in to the character of Mosquito Joe. Some of our other taglines such as “Stop smacking yourself in the face.” and “Don’t worry, you’re safe in here.” let customers and prospects know that our company has a relatable personality, that we understand your mosquito control needs, and that we have the expertise necessary to meet them.
We train our franchisees extensively before they open for business, so that our brand messaging is consistent throughout the entire system. Any materials we create and distribute, from our website to local flyers, have (what we think is) a perfect mix of humor, outdoor fun, and mosquito control expertise.
We want our customers to not only love the service, but to love the people and the company behind it. We are very proud of the brand we’ve built over the years and the growing recognition it’s receiving nationwide.
